Speakers

Rebecca C. Mueller, PhD, RN, CRNP, FNP-BC
Associate Professor
Neumann University

Dr. Rebecca C. Mueller is an associate professor of nursing at Neumann University. Prior to joining Neumann, she was employed as a primary care family nurse practitioner in Philadelphia, PA and Las Vegas, NV. In addition to teaching undergraduate and graduate nursing students, she works as a nurse practitioner at Swarthmore College’s Student Health and Wellness clinic providing primary care to a college-aged population. Dr. Mueller received her Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Villanova University, a Master of Science in Nursing from the University of Pennsylvania, and a Doctor of Philosophy in Nursing from Villanova University. She is passionate about the care of adolescents, young adults, and vulnerable populations. After earning her BSN, she spent a year of service with the Augustinian Volunteers program working as a nurse in a free clinic in San Diego, CA. Her background also includes medical-surgical nursing, home health, and community-based nursing. Her passion for equitable health care has translated to research at Neumann to develop and implement curricula focused on caring for patients who are LGBTQ. Dr. Mueller serves on the board of the Southeastern Pennsylvania College Health Nurses Association, and is an active member of the American Association of Nurse Practitioners, earning an AANP and Sigma Theta Tau research grant in 2022.

Speakers

Robin Lockhart, PhD, MSN, RN, CNE
Chair and Assistant Professor
Midwestern State University

Dr. Robin Lockhart professionally focuses on the education, retention, and support of pre-licensure, post-licensure, and graduate nursing students. She has served as a nursing faculty member for the last 29 years. She holds a BSN from Midwestern State University, and an MSN and PhD in Nursing from the University of Texas in Arlington. Her scholarship focuses primarily on pre-licensure student retention. However, she has secured external funding to support nursing student retention, provide new technologies to educate nursing students, increase nurse practitioner enrollment and clinical placement, and improve resiliency of healthcare providers. During her 37 years of nursing, she worked in emergency, critical care, cardiac care, post-surgical, medical, and pediatric units in three acute care hospitals. She served as a relief house supervisor for 16 years. She is a champion of new technologies. Today she is speaking about the use of artificial intelligence in academia, and specifically about the use of ChatGPT. She will share ideas on how to reduce the challenges associated with its use, and how to use it to the advantage of the nurse educator in teaching and scholarship.

Speakers

Kathy Chappell, PhD, RN, FNAP, FAAN
Senior Vice President
Accreditation, Certification, Measurement, Institute for Credentialing Research and Quality Management, and Advanced Practice Initiatives
American Nurses Credentialing Center

Dr. Chappell is the Senior Vice President of Accreditation, Certification, Measurement for the Institute for Nursing Research and Quality Management, and Advanced Practice Initiatives at the American Nurses Credentialing Center. She is responsible for certification of individual registered nurses (RNs) and advanced practice registered nurses (APRNs); and development of board certification examinations. She is responsible for the accreditation of organizations that provide continuing nursing education and interprofessional continuing education; and for accreditation of residency and fellowship programs for RNs and APRNs. She directs the Institute for Nursing Research, analyzing outcomes related to credentialing and other important nursing issues, and the quality management department. She also leads the Advanced Practice Initiatives department. She holds a baccalaureate in nursing with distinction from the University of Virginia, a master of science in advanced clinical nursing, and a doctorate in nursing from George Mason University. She is a Fellow of the American Academy of Nursing and a Distinguished Scholar & Fellow of the National Academies of Practice.

Steve Singer, PhD
Vice President of Education and Outreach
Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education

Dr. Singer oversees development of programs and resources to support the ACCME system of accredited CME providers, ACCME-recognized state accreditors, and accreditation volunteers, including the annual ACCME Meeting and ACCME’s online learning portal, ACCME Academy. Dr. Singer also oversees the educational support for Joint Accreditation for Interprofessional Continuing Education, a collaborative initiative founded by ACCME, American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC), and Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE).

Dr. Singer’s liaison responsibilities for the ACCME include the National Academy of Medicine’s Action Collaboratives on Clinician Well-Being and Resilience and Countering the U.S. Opioid Epidemic, the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) evidence-based Care Transformation Support (ACTS) initiative, and other partnerships to elevate the role of continuing education as a strategic asset for healthcare change. Dr. Singer received his doctorate in neuropharmacology from the Stritch School of Medicine.

Speakers

Jeanne Bernier, MSN, RN, CNL-BC
MSN-CNL Program Director/Instructor
Mississippi College

Jeanne Bernier is the MSN-CNL program director at Mississippi College in Clinton, MS. She currently in her final semester of coursework in the PhD in Nursing program at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville, TN. Jeanne earned her BSN from the University of Alabama Capstone College of Nursing in 2006 and her MSN in Nursing Education from the University of Mississippi Medical Center in 2014. After working as a staff nurse on primarily medical/surgical and gynecological/oncological hospital floors for 8 years, she moved into a full-time role as a nurse educator in 2014 teaching adult health didactic and clinical courses, pharmacology, and research to undergraduate students. Mississippi College began its CNL program in 2019 and, along with program director responsibilities, Jeanne teaches the CNL specific course and oversees students’ clinical projects. The CNL program at Mississippi College is the only one in the state, and Jeanne and the MSN team are busy trying to spread the word and “make the case” for CNLs to area hospital systems.

Speakers

Quyen Phan, DNP, APRN, FNP-BC
Assistant Clinical Professor
Emory University

Dr. Phan is an Assistant Clinical Professor at Emory University in Atlanta, GA, with more than eighteen years of teaching experience, both in acute care and public health and community settings. Her areas of expertise include nursing education, population-based and public health nursing, primary care, and care of disfranchised populations. She is a PI/PD of several grants, including $8 million dollar grants from HRSA, and one from the AACN, with a focus on nursing training. As a former refugee from Vietnam, Dr. Phan earned her Bachelor of Nursing degree from Ottawa University in Canada, Masters in Leadership Public Health and Teaching minor from Emory University, and Doctor of Nursing Practice and Family Nurse Practitioner from Augusta University.

Lisa Roberts, PH, MSN, FNP-BC, CHES, FAANP, FAAN
Professor/Research Director
Loma Linda University

Lisa R. Roberts is a Professor and the Research Director at Loma Linda University School of Nursing, with a secondary appointment as Professor in the Division of Interdisciplinary Studies in the School of Behavioral Health to facilitate collaborative translational research. Her MSN and Family Nurse Practitioner training was obtained at Western University of Health Sciences, and her Dr.PH in health education at the LLU School of Public Health.

Dr. Roberts’ clinical practice is foundational to her teaching and research. Her clinical focus is primary care and prevention, including vaccinations. She enjoys teaching and mentoring as this provides the opportunity to influence the next generation of nurses and scholars to care for communities, vulnerable populations, and reduce health disparities.

Melissa J. Geist, EdD, FNP-BC, PPCNP-BC
Professor of Nursing
Tennessee Tech University

A passionate educator, researcher, and practitioner, Dr. Geist maintains dual certification as a Family and Pediatric Nurse Practitioner. Her research interest involves interprofessional teamwork, communication, and healthcare mis/disinformation. Dr. Geist serves as the PI for VECTOR (Vaccine Education for Communities to Orchestrate Recovery) and ESTAR Sanos “to be healthy” (Education, Support, Training, Awareness, and Resources), grants from the American Association of Colleges of Nursing and the TN Department of Health to mitigate the adverse outcomes of COVID-19 in rural and Hispanic populations. The grant team has provided education and resources to over 2000 individuals through robust partnerships with groups such as the TN Association of Hispanic Nurses, local ESL programs, and faith-based organizations. Dr. Geist received national honors from the ANCC (Certified Nurse Award, 2017) and the Vanderbilt University Alumni Association (Award for Healthcare Innovation, 2020).

Stefanie Birk, DNP, MSN, MBA, RN
Assistant Professor
DNP and MS Leadership Area Coordinator
University of Missouri

Dr. Birk is faculty at the University of MO Sinclair School of Nursing and has spent much of her career in public health and nursing education. She holds a DNP in Nursing Leadership from the University of Kansas, a MSN with an emphasis in public health nursing from the University of Missouri – Columbia, and a MBA from William Woods University. She has 15 years academic teaching experience and teaches courses in both the undergraduate and graduate programs in areas of public health and leadership. Dr. Birk also coordinates the DNP and MS Leadership areas of study.

In spring 2022, grant funding allowed the opportunity to work with nursing students on Covid-19 vaccine confidence projects. Undergraduate and Graduate students completed vaccine confidence modules as well as motivational interviewing sessions which have been integrated into the curriculum. The project team also worked with School of Journalism to create social marketing projects.